Mother – The Stars Within LP/CD (Various Labels)

Speaking of modern European underground music, there’s no way we could ever forget the Italian scene. If you take a deep dive and listen to even just a few bands, soon you’ll realize why Italian bands were always rated as the finest you could stumble upon. And there’s pretty much a good reason for that. From classic punk rock, melodic punk rock, and skate punk, over indie, shoegaze, and alternative, to more aggressive styles like hardcore punk or post-hardcore, Italy has always offered the greatest exports. “The Stars Within,” a brand-new full-length album by Mother, exemplifies how even some longstanding genres can still sound fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting, just like they’ve firstly appeared on the global music landscape. Released by Engineer Records, among many other record labels that joined the co-production, this album delivers a perfect blend of post-hardcore, melodic hardcore, melodic punk rock, alternative, and indie, expertly measured and amplified in the mix to satisfy even the pickiest music enthusiasts. The best part about it is how all these songs, thirteen to be more precise, resonate with many brilliant, innovative ideas and marvelous musicianship, to the point where it sounds like post-hardcore appeared on the radio only yesterday.

As soon as you press play, you’ll immediately notice how “The Stars Within” is entirely packed with raw, unfiltered emotion, a trait that many modern bands, even those renowned ones who have a decent mileage behind their feet, lack nowadays. But Mother never goes into that predictable, repetitive, bland type of emotion that most emo, post-hardcore, and melodic hardcore bands tend to infuse into their songs nowadays. Quite the contrary, it seems like they embrace all the lows and highs, hardships of life, failed relationships, unrequited love, and fleeting moments with somewhat honest joy. They carry a very direct message that even when you hit your lowest lows and feel like you’ve been hit by a train, there are so many things in life that will help you get back on your feet. It’s such a rarity nowadays to see and hear a band handling emotions with such stability, strength, and assurance that everything will be alright. And this impression of them carrying the torch of positive mental attitude also reflects through their catchy, memorable, engaging, captivating music. It has a lot to do with how those lyrics float above the orchestrations, and that’s another quality that this outstanding band showcases proudly.

There’s an utter beauty in the way this band articulates through every composition. The thoughtfully assembled, tastefully distorted, subtly reverby themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic maneuvers shine on one side, giving this album that sweet, ethereal, otherworldly feel, while on the other side all those catchy, memorable, engaging chord progressions and riffs complete the luxuriant soundscape. These lush guitar works are perfectly paired with equally impressive bass lines, which in this case not only support all the high ends but also offer more melody, clarity, warmth, depth, groove, and heaviness. Besides all of that, the bass guitar also serves as a binding element that binds all the guitar work and rhythmic patterns. And the drumming is more than impressive here. The way all those wisely arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics elevate everything to new heights, keep the remainder of the band in line, and all that while dictating groove and pace goes beyond comprehension. The entire album is perfectly rounded with a vocalist who understands the balance between melody, harmony, raw vulnerability, restraint, and aggression. His vocal performance gives a whole new meaning to these compositions, making them even more appealing to the ears while never losing that sweet, raw, abrasive, aggressive touch post-hardcore is known for.

“The Stars Within” is one of the greatest post-hardcore albums you’ve heard in years. It does not only stands as a top contender for an album of the year, but a whole decade, thank to the boundless creativity of this marvelous Italian band. If you’re looking for an album that will impress you and elevate your feelings to new heights, Mother’s “The Stars Within” will be right up your alley. Head to Engineer Records and purchase this gem on vinyl or CD.